Judge John Hodgman on ‘The West Wing’ Super Fan

By John Hodgman

Feb. 10, 2016

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CreditCreditIllustration by Kyle Hilton

Talee writes:I love ‘‘The West Wing.’’ The pace and erudition of the show, plus Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue, have me addicted. I try to persuade everyone I know to watch it, but three of my best friends won’t give in. What can I do?

Hello again, Aaron Sorkin. Oh, excuse me, I mean ‘‘Talee.’’ I’m sorry that I cannot force these three people in your life to watch your show. But this court has a longstanding precedent: People like what they like. If they enjoyed ‘‘The West Wing’’ as much as you do, ‘‘Talee,’’ they would be watching it. And unfortunately, the more you try to foist your favorite culture upon your friends, the more likely it will begin to feel like homework to them, and they will reject it out of spite. Because your friends are other humans, ‘‘Talee,’’ not just walk-and-talk characters in your mind-drama.

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